


Anchor

by zarahjoyce



Category: Ressha Sentai Tokkyuger, Sentai - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-11
Updated: 2014-05-11
Packaged: 2018-01-24 08:45:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1598750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zarahjoyce/pseuds/zarahjoyce
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Look! Look down there,” Mio said, and he did, and his nerves were quick to remind him just how much he loathed heights. Mid Ep 11.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Anchor

He should have known what was on Right’s mind, the very moment they stepped inside the amusement park.  
  
"We’re gonna ride everything anyway!" he proudly proclaimed, sidestepping Kagura’s request for nothing too scary and Mio’s echoing of what was on Hikari’s thoughts right there and then—  
  
 _Nothing too high.  
  
_ "Make sure your seat belt’s fastened tightly," Mio said, turning towards him from her seat in front, and he nodded, not telling her that _this_ was fine, as long as he had something to anchor him to something solid then it was all right. _He’d_ be all right.  
  
Besides, Hikari reasoned that he could always close his eyes to avoid seeing how high they’d go and just how low they’d descend to. He ignored Kagura’s bubbling excitement and Tokatti’s nervous enthusiasm and thought that this was _stupid,_ that he allowed himself to be dragged into riding this monstrosity, but it wasn’t like Right was going to allow Hikari to miss out on _anything_ and even Mio was against leaving him behind, and _oh god they’re moving and it’ll be over soon and it_ should _be over soon_ — _the odds of this train stopping and dropping to the ground without warning should be close to nil and—_  
  
"That was fun!" Kagura declared as soon as the ride came into a stop. Hikari opened his eyes and breathed out, slowly willing his stomach to settle and his frazzled nerves to calm down.

They were back on solid ground. _Finally._  
  
"Hikari, are you okay?" Tokatti asked him, and he nodded curtly in response; he disliked anyone making a fuss over him and his so-called acrophobia, after all.  
  
"We should do it again!" Right declared, pumping his fist in the air, and Hikari aimed a glare at him, ready to shoot him down—  
  
Then Mio calmly stepped between them and smoothly said, “Why don’t we try the other rides first and _if_ we still have time, we’ll try this one again?”  
  
Hikari glanced at her, and she grinned at him, her eyes bright.  
  
"...All right," Right said, knowing what they all did - that it was useless to try to appeal to Mio when she spoke in _that_ tone of hers. “Then I want to try—” his eyes scanned the horizon, then pointed at something— “ _that_ one!”  
  
Hikari’s stomach dropped to dizzying depths when he saw just what Right was referring to.  
  
"Oh! That looks awesome, Right!" Kagura said, and together they raced towards the ride, the three trailing after them.  
  
Mio sighed loudly. “They didn’t even ask us if _we_ wanted to ride it.”  
  
Hikari fell into step beside her. “Do you?”  
  
"Well—"  
  
"It’s not that high, is it?" Tokatti asked from behind them.  
  
"No," Mio said, looking up. She smiled wistfully. "I think it looks fun, though."  
  
"Then let’s go." Hikari shoved his hands into his pockets, resolutely striding forward. Might as well get this over and done with.  
  
"Are you sure?" Mio asked, catching up to him.  
  
He shrugged. “We’ll try _everything_ , right? And that ride’s a part of everything.”  
  
It was only after a few minutes that Hikari found out, to his dismay and mounting anger, that the ride lacked the one thing he thought all rides should have in the first place—  
  
"What do you _mean,”_ he fairly snarled to the attendant, “that this doesn’t have any _seat belt?”_  
  
"Um—"  
  
"Hikari, it’s all right," Mio said, stepping down from the ride she was supposed to share with Kagura and quickly moving towards them when she noticed the ruckus he was starting to make. "Tokatti and I will change places. I’ll ride with you." She smiled placatingly at the panicking attendant and all but shoved Hikari inside the small compartment.  
  
"I can’t believe a seat belt isn’t required for this," he said, standing stock-still at the very middle, knowing that relatively _this_ was a safe space. "Don't they have rules about it?"  
  
"It won’t go as fast or as high as a roller coaster. Besides, we’re not sitting down, are we?" Mio reasoned, moving closer to the edge and peering downwards and Hikari wanted to reach out and tell her to stay beside him where it was safer because what if—  
  
The ride began to ascend, and he _did_ reach out, catching her sleeve instead. He swallowed hard, wondering _when_ it was a good time to close his eyes.  
  
Her smile was so warm and bright as she looked down at the ground beneath them, though, and Hikari chose to keep them open, despite everything.  
  
"Look! Look down there," Mio said, and _he did,_ and his nerves were quick to remind him just how much he loathed heights. But it was impulse that compelled him to do as she asked, to find out what amused her so, and despite not knowing what it was, at least he could say that he _tried._

He kept his gaze up, left, right - everywhere but down. Told himself this would be over _soon--_  
  
The ride descended quietly, much to Hikari’s appreciation. The door swung open and he was only too happy to realize his knees weren't buckling as he stepped out, with Mio in tow.  
  
Kagura and Right were off racing to another ride that caught their eye, when Mio laughed suddenly.  
  
"Hikari?" she said. "We’re on the ground now."  
  
He raised his brows, silently asking her what her point was.  
  
She then pointed at his hand and sweetly asked, “Can you _please_ let go of my sleeve?”


End file.
